Science and Technology

Tesla began delivering its much delayed, highly anticipated Cybertruck pickup to customers on Thursday, entering one of the most lucrative but competitive segments of the auto industry.With its stainless steel body and sharp angles, the Cybertruck is unlike pickups from Ford Motor, General Motors and Ram, which dominate the market. With a starting price of $100,000 for the top-of-the-line version, it is Tesla’s first completely new passenger vehicle in more than three years but arrives long after other automakers began selling battery-powered pickups.That has analysts asking just who will buy the Cybertruck. Will it steal customers from traditional automakers, appeal to a different crowd or become a costly flop? Tesla has said hundreds of thousands of people have placed $100 refundable dep...

Advertisers said on Thursday that they did not plan to reopen their wallets anytime soon with X, the social media company formerly known as Twitter, after its owner, Elon Musk, insulted brands using an expletive and told them not to spend on the platform.At least half a dozen marketing agencies said the brands they represent were standing firm against advertising on X, while others said they had advised advertisers to stop posting anything on the platform. Some temporary spending pauses that advertisers have enacted in recent weeks against X are likely to turn into permanent freezes, they added, with Mr. Musk’s comments giving them no incentive to return.Advertisers are “not coming back” to X, said Lou Paskalis, the founder and chief executive of AJL Advisory, a marketing consultancy. “The...

Listen and follow ‘Hard Fork’Apple | Spotify | Amazon | YouTubeThe drama at OpenAI is not over. Kevin and Casey take stock of new information they’ve gathered since last week, and look at how other artificial intelligence companies are trying to capitalize on the debacle. Then, why people are still buying cryptocurrency even after Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange, and its founder pleaded guilty to money laundering violations. And finally, three ways A.I. is ruining web search. Or is it?Today’s guest: David Yaffe-Bellany covers crypto for The New York Times.Additional Reading:Casey has new details from the OpenAI board fight.Changpeng Zhao, the Binance founder, agreed to pay a $50 million fine and step down from his role as chief executive.Credits“Hard Fork” is hosted by Kevin R...

Shou Chew, TikTok’s chief executive, has been getting personally involved in efforts to address concerns that the app has fueled anti-Israel and antisemitic rhetoric since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, in a sign of how seriously the company is taking the criticism.In recent weeks, Mr. Chew, who lives in Singapore, has met in New York and on video calls with numerous prominent Jewish groups and leaders.The meetings, arranged by TikTok, have been with organizations including the American Jewish Committee, UJA-Federation of New York and the Anti-Defamation League, the groups told The New York Times. He also joined a call with dozens of Jewish tech and business leaders, including founders of Tinder and the apparel brand Bonobos, as well as Facebook’s ex-chief revenue officer.In the meetin...